I just finished reading Book 4 of the Dark Tower series! I really liked how Stephen King integrated elements of The Wizard of OZ into it. Very neat touch.

Sun May 27, 2012 4:18 pm

Radio Blue Heart

Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2012 10:27 pmPosts: 2642Location: North Carolina

Re: Reading Thread/Discussion

Not a book that I have read recently, just a book that I thought that everyone should give a chance. It's cover is also my avatar.

"Johnny Got His Gun" by Dalton Trumbo. It changed my life.

_________________"I have known hardship and learned to aid the wretched."-Virgil

Wed May 30, 2012 2:36 pm

tychoaussie

Joined: Mon May 14, 2012 12:00 pmPosts: 283Location: East lansing, MI

Re: Reading Thread/Discussion

I finished two books recently, and I'm waiting on my shipment from Amazon to arrive with the next one.Tell youwhat - this "print on demand" service that is offered by Amazon and Barnes & Noble is pretty cool - The hard cover prints are first-class.

Book #1 was written by one of my coworkers here, so of course I ordered it as a hard cover: Cripple-mode: Hot Electric is book # 1 of a trilogy, by Jerry Dobias.

Jerry's book starts off hot, then cools off for a few pages, then picks up again at about page 150 and rivets you through the end of page 620. It's a self-published book and contains various typos that could stand another going-over by a professional copy editor but is otherwise a pretty good read for a self-pub. If you don't want to spend the four bucks on an E-copy, Jerry is offering the book for free on his website in exchange for an honest review. Jerry and I have had some spirited conversations about excessive use of first-person and present-tense narration, as well as discussions on ways to differentiate the character voices. Flaws non-withstanding, the book has some original concepts within when it comes to science fiction. There appears to be a blending of concepts from Frank Herbert's "Dune", Some of Heinlein, and perhaps a bit of Anne McCaffery's Rowan series in there, but these days, it's probably pretty hard to have a uniquely original sci-fi concept that doesn't have at least one similarity to something already written. Jerry creates a futureworld that has political factions involving governmental, citizen, and corporate forces. He plays with advanced biotechnology, and a concept called "jumpspace", which is a quasi-subspace that has no XYZ dimensionality and is accessed through a bioengineered machinery called the "core" which may, or may not be sentient. It is loosely controlled by operators who appear to fear the "core".

Again, I ordered the excellent quality hard cover. This is an autobiography by Dr. Romney, who is one of the geophysicists who helped develop the U.S. Atomic Energy Detection System in the 1950's. He also helped negotiate the 1963 limited test ban treaty as well as the 1974 nuclear threshold test treaty. He is instrumental in the creation of a comprehensive test ban treaty which is not yet ratified. What I like about this book is reading about previously unreleased classified details into the politics between the Soviet Union and the USA during the height of the cold war. It's also neat to read about how one went about getting a college education in the early 1940's when one didn't have a lot of money. No student loans were available, so you went about gathering your tuition money by doing whatever you could, even if it involved shoveling fifty tons of coal in thirty days, or digging out & crushing lead ore from the local mine.

Carl's book is very well written and easy to read. It's an autobiography that sort of touches on the culture of the nuclear community of post-WWII through the late 1960's, but it is really about getting to know the geophysicist, and the people within his life that shaped him from childhood, all the way through the early 1990's. I was initially attracted to this book because I used to be involved within the nuclear treaty monitoring community while in the U.S. military. Carl's book helps bring home the history that shaped the culture of that community. History within a community where most everything is classified SECRET is sometimes tough to find.---

_________________Fun-loving by birth, Honorable through upbringing, Brave by necessity.

Thu May 31, 2012 8:54 am

Penwrite

Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2010 11:03 amPosts: 3407Location: Canterlot

Re: Reading Thread/Discussion

Just finished "Ender's Game". Very good book. Next up, Neil Gaiman's "American Gods"!

Thu May 31, 2012 7:21 pm

Radio Blue Heart

Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2012 10:27 pmPosts: 2642Location: North Carolina

Re: Reading Thread/Discussion

Penwrite Wrote:

Just finished "Ender's Game". Very good book. Next up, Neil Gaiman's "American Gods"!

Excellent choice! "American Gods" is an excellent read! It has some sad parts though...

Be sure to check out its sequel "Anansi Boys". It is hilarious!

_________________"I have known hardship and learned to aid the wretched."-Virgil

Thu May 31, 2012 9:25 pm

Penwrite

Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2010 11:03 amPosts: 3407Location: Canterlot

Re: Reading Thread/Discussion

Radio Blue Heart Wrote:

Penwrite Wrote:

Just finished "Ender's Game". Very good book. Next up, Neil Gaiman's "American Gods"!

Excellent choice! "American Gods" is an excellent read! It has some sad parts though...

Be sure to check out its sequel "Anansi Boys". It is hilarious!

Oh, "Anansi Boys" is a sequel? That's great, because I actually got a special super awesome book with both stories in it!

Has anyone else seen those really, really high-quality books at Barnes & Noble? The ones with sleek hard covers and cool illustrations and stuff?

Thu May 31, 2012 9:46 pm

Radio Blue Heart

Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2012 10:27 pmPosts: 2642Location: North Carolina

Re: Reading Thread/Discussion

Penwrite Wrote:

Radio Blue Heart Wrote:

Penwrite Wrote:

Just finished "Ender's Game". Very good book. Next up, Neil Gaiman's "American Gods"!

Excellent choice! "American Gods" is an excellent read! It has some sad parts though...

Be sure to check out its sequel "Anansi Boys". It is hilarious!

Oh, "Anansi Boys" is a sequel? That's great, because I actually got a special super awesome book with both stories in it!

Has anyone else seen those really, really high-quality books at Barnes & Noble? The ones with sleek hard covers and cool illustrations and stuff?

I have a few of those B & N books. They are very nice.

"Anansi Boys" is not a direct sequel, but it does follow the story of the sons of one of the characters.

_________________"I have known hardship and learned to aid the wretched."-Virgil

Thu May 31, 2012 10:08 pm

Penwrite

Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2010 11:03 amPosts: 3407Location: Canterlot

Re: Reading Thread/Discussion

Cool. Can't wait to get to it.

Yeah, I have a good number of those B&N books, and I love them. Right now I have Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" and "Anansi Boys", "The Story of Arthur and His Knights", "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (which was a gift from an English professor), the collected works of H.P. Lovecraft, and the King James Bible, which I must admit to getting solely for its literary value.

In case nobody's noticed, I'm a bit of a bibliophile...

Sun Jun 03, 2012 9:59 pm

Sleet

Bringing Foxy Back

Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2010 1:32 amPosts: 16794Location: Nephelokokkygia

Re: Reading Thread/Discussion

I just finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. The... peculiar writing style made it really easy to read, but I started to process sentences that way and it's taking me a while to start talking normally! *laughs*

I just finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. The... peculiar writing style made it really easy to read, but I started to process sentences that way and it's taking me a while to start talking normally! *laughs*

Peculiar writing style? What do you mean?

Sun Jun 03, 2012 11:03 pm

Dissension

Devil Skirrl

Joined: Fri Oct 31, 2008 5:42 pmPosts: 8576Images: 0

Re: Reading Thread/Discussion

Quote:

I just finished a book narrated by an effectively autistic person and now I'm having trouble getting back my organic style of speaking.

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Sun Jun 03, 2012 11:18 pm

Sleet

Bringing Foxy Back

Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2010 1:32 amPosts: 16794Location: Nephelokokkygia

Re: Reading Thread/Discussion

Penwrite Wrote:

Sleet Wrote:

I just finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. The... peculiar writing style made it really easy to read, but I started to process sentences that way and it's taking me a while to start talking normally! *laughs*

Peculiar writing style? What do you mean?

Wikipedia would've solved your problem, but since you asked, the main character (who is also the narrator) is basically autistic.

Said article says nothing about the actual writing style besides being first-person, and that's nothing special.

What you might mean is how the narrator describes his surroundings. Not that it's representative of how neuro-atypical persons of the autistic spectrum actually experience the world as the author admitted he's got no clue about the subject and so came to write about a fantasy condition.

Peculiar writing style would be, for instance, ryting fonetikli or not using pronouns like "I" or "me".

_________________"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it." - Upton Sinclair

Wanderer Wrote:

You don't need a job, you need money.

Mon Jun 04, 2012 8:39 am

Penwrite

Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2010 11:03 amPosts: 3407Location: Canterlot

Re: Reading Thread/Discussion

I prefer getting thoughts and impressions on things straight from people when I can, rather than from second or third-hand sources like wikipedia.

So anyway, in vaguely-related news, I've been accepted into one of the grad schools I applied to for a creative writing program! I'm going to write something y'all will talk about here someday!

I am never going to be able to watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarves again...

Wed Jun 13, 2012 12:02 pm

Coatl_Ruu

Joined: Sun Jan 02, 2011 9:56 pmPosts: 1451Location: [REDACTED]

Re: Reading Thread/Discussion

I just finished reading A Dance with Dragons this week. It was a great book, but I really wasn't satisfied with the way it ended. (Basically, half the POV characters ended on cliffhangers. George R.R. Martin had better not die on us. =P

I also picked up a book called Soldier Dogs around the same time I finished A Dance with Dragons. It's about the military working dogs that serve in the various branches of the US military, both in modern times and in the past. It gives all kinds of information about the training the dogs go through, their duties, etc, as well as a bunch of personal anecdotes from dog handlers serving in the military - some of which are absolutely heart-wrenching. All in all, a great read.

I'm surprised no one here has mentioned Markus Zusak's The Book Thief yet. Simply put, it is a storytelling masterpiece, not to mention an emotive one. What do I mean by 'emotive'? Let me put it this way: I skipped school for a day, because The Book Thief's ending had caused me to cry for two hours before morning. Everyone should read this book, especially writers. It is a prime example of how to characterize human beings.

The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett, is also quite a great book if you're a fan of historical fiction (specifically fiction regarding the Middle Ages), or even non-fiction. It's well told and well presented, and has the curious distinction of being the only novel I've read that turns eleventh century architecture into something interesting.

I tried reading The Book Thief, but...eh...it didn't really capture my attention. Being narrated by Death seemed like a cheap gimmick to me.

Thu Jun 28, 2012 8:51 am

Rollofthedice

Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2011 10:08 pmPosts: 231Location: Texas

Re: Reading Thread/Discussion

Penwrite Wrote:

I tried reading The Book Thief, but...eh...it didn't really capture my attention. Being narrated by Death seemed like a cheap gimmick to me.

Please, please give it another chance. Death isn't just the typical spooky skeleton who wears a robe and scythe. He's a character in his own right, with both utterly human and utterly alien qualities. As the narrator of the novel, he also serves as the justification for a very unique and engaging writing style.

Anyway, the focus of the book is hardly on him. Death is simply the teller of the story; much more focus is given to the characters within it.

I tried reading The Book Thief, but...eh...it didn't really capture my attention. Being narrated by Death seemed like a cheap gimmick to me.

Please, please give it another chance. Death isn't just the typical spooky skeleton who wears a robe and scythe. He's a character in his own right, with both utterly human and utterly alien qualities. As the narrator of the novel, he also serves as the justification for a very unique and engaging writing style.

Anyway, the focus of the book is hardly on him. Death is simply the teller of the story; much more focus is given to the characters within it.

The writing style was pretty unique, yeah, but it just didn't engage me. Hmm...maybe if there's a copy in the town library I'll give it another try sometime, but I'm definitely not going to buy it. *shrugs*

So hey, who here's read Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None"?

Thu Jun 28, 2012 12:06 pm

Wanderer

Re: Reading Thread/Discussion

Ooh! I've read it!Do you know the original title?

Fri Jun 29, 2012 11:24 pm

Penwrite

Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2010 11:03 amPosts: 3407Location: Canterlot

Re: Reading Thread/Discussion

Wanderer Wrote:

Ooh! I've read it!Do you know the original title?

Yes, but I'd rather not say it.

Also, I've finished Anansi Boys. It was really great!

Thu Jul 05, 2012 6:15 pm

Radio Blue Heart

Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2012 10:27 pmPosts: 2642Location: North Carolina

Re: Reading Thread/Discussion

Penwrite Wrote:

Wanderer Wrote:

Ooh! I've read it!Do you know the original title?

Yes, but I'd rather not say it.

Also, I've finished Anansi Boys. It was really great!

Told you that you would like it! It has a completely different tone than "American Gods".

What did you think of that funeral scene at the beginning? Where Fat Charlie gave a eulogy at the wrong funeral!

I think that the best line was by one of the "animals".

"Nothing is meaner, leaner or obscener than hyena!"

_________________"I have known hardship and learned to aid the wretched."-Virgil

Fri Jul 06, 2012 3:30 pm

Penwrite

Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2010 11:03 amPosts: 3407Location: Canterlot

Re: Reading Thread/Discussion

Oh man, I so felt for Charlie in that scene. I was also laughing my butt off.

I'm currently working on a book I randomly got at Barnes and Noble about a week ago. "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay" the book is called, and it is fantastic so far.

Sat Jul 07, 2012 9:33 pm

Wanderer

Re: Reading Thread/Discussion

I just found out that Life of Pi is being made into a movie.It's not like I hate book based movies, but I am usually greatly disappointed by the movie after reading the book.Now it seems like I only read the book because they're soon making a movie!I really hope they don't mess it up.

Sat Jul 07, 2012 11:23 pm

Penwrite

Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2010 11:03 amPosts: 3407Location: Canterlot

Re: Reading Thread/Discussion

Wanderer Wrote:

I just found out that Life of Pi is being made into a movie.It's not like I hate book based movies, but I am usually greatly disappointed by the movie after reading the book.Now it seems like I only read the book because they're soon making a movie!I really hope they don't mess it up.

Oh hey, I saw a trailer...thing, for that in front of Prometheus. It showed a clip of a guy on a boot, with a tiger, and then suddenly a bunch of fish came flying out of nowhere, and the guy and the tiger got into argument over a really big fish, and the guy one, and it was weird.

Oh hey, I saw a trailer...thing, for that in front of Prometheus. It showed a clip of a guy on a boot, with a tiger, and then suddenly a bunch of fish came flying out of nowhere, and the guy and the tiger got into argument over a really big fish, and the guy one, and it was weird.

that's the book in a nutshell. a boy and a tiger in a boat, weird things happen.

_________________I'm a shape-shifter. I'm currently in whatever form I feel likeParadigm Shift by meI do not actually believe any of what I'm saying.RP character sheets

Oh hey, I saw a trailer...thing, for that in front of Prometheus. It showed a clip of a guy on a boot, with a tiger, and then suddenly a bunch of fish came flying out of nowhere, and the guy and the tiger got into argument over a really big fish, and the guy one, and it was weird.

that's the book in a nutshell. a boy and a tiger in a boat, weird things happen.

Actually, it's about a boy who gives a huge theological lecture to the reader, and then it's a boy and a tiger in a boat... and weird things happen (like really weird )

Also I can't get over the fact that "Piscine" is pronounced essentially as "piece-een", so I would think "Pi" short for "Piscine" would be pronounced "pee" and "Life of Pee" is not an enticing book title

_________________

Sun Jul 08, 2012 1:34 pm

Radio Blue Heart

Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2012 10:27 pmPosts: 2642Location: North Carolina

Re: Reading Thread/Discussion

Penwrite Wrote:

Oh man, I so felt for Charlie in that scene. I was also laughing my butt off.

I'm currently working on a book I randomly got at Barnes and Noble about a week ago. "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay" the book is called, and it is fantastic so far.

One of those awkward scene where you feel embarrassment for the character! Still it was hilarious! "That's my grandma in there!"

I have heard good things about that book but have yet to read it. I know that it is set in the early days of the comic industry.

Carrying over from the Hellboy/Derpy comic in the MLP thread. There is a couple of books that the writer/artist of Hellboy, Mike Mignola did in collaboration with a novelist named Christopher Golden that I think that you might like. I dug them out of my collection the other day. The first two are Hellboy novels that are quite good.

The First is called "The Lost Army". Mignola likes to blend many different sources: Folk tales, myths, pulp stories, horror literature and history. In this one, Hellboy investigates the deaths of an archaeology team in the Egyptian desert looking for The Lost Army. A Persian army sent to conquer an oasis town but where wiped out without a trace by a sand storm.

The second is called "Bones Of Giants". Hellboy finds Thor's Hammer and has to use it to stop the resurrection of a frost giant.

The third book is called "Baltimore, Or The Steadfast Tin Soldier And The Vampire". It is about a British Soldier, a veteran of the First World War who has become a vampire hunter after a vampire that he wounded on the battlefield (the vampires were feeding on the bodies of his men) kills his wife and spreads a plague across Europe. It is actually several stories woven into one. Its told by three of Baltimore's friends who share stories of their meetings with Baltimore and their experiences with the supernatural.

_________________"I have known hardship and learned to aid the wretched."-Virgil

Sun Jul 08, 2012 3:14 pm

Penwrite

Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2010 11:03 amPosts: 3407Location: Canterlot

Re: Reading Thread/Discussion

That all sounds really awesome. I'll be sure to check them out.

Tue Jul 10, 2012 9:20 am

Radio Blue Heart

Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2012 10:27 pmPosts: 2642Location: North Carolina

Re: Reading Thread/Discussion

Penwrite Wrote:

That all sounds really awesome. I'll be sure to check them out.

There are many other Hellboy novels, but these two fall into the continuity of the comics. There is an anthology called "Odder Jobs" that Christopher Golden and Guillermo Del Toro contributed too.

If you what to read some more stuff from Neil Gaiman, might I also suggest his short story collection called "Fragile Things". It is really good.

_________________"I have known hardship and learned to aid the wretched."-Virgil

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